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Saturday, March 2, 2013

The Warrior Choi Young

Now
that all the logic is still kicking in the back of my mind and the
thread is really quiet, I'm going to jot down some lingerings I meant to
share a while back but couldn't manage to.

As
some of you have known, I'm obsessed with the warrior theme. This is
the single reason why I chose Faith over Arang and many other dramas at
that time (being totally oblivious to MinHot). And probably before
anything else, the sole reason why I am so invested with this show,
regardless of all of its flaws.

For
me, the epilogue was all about Young. By the end of E23, it was time
for his final self-battle for the justification of a warrior. Back in
his old days with the Red Moon Army, the concept was distant to him
because all he did, was follow his teacher. When that Father figure
vanished, so did he. The loss of Mae Hee only added gravity to the
situation but above all, it was him who lost his vindication. For that
reason, to me, Young was never whole before.

The
duo dynamics of Eun Soo and Gongmin were critical for Young's
multi-dimensional development in such a short period of time. The
development was forced so abruptly and brutally that we sobbed with him
along the way. But it was necessary to enlighten him with the true
meaning of a warrior: a man who fights for a cause. Young needed to be a
real man first so there was Eun Soo to breathe soul into him, to teach
him to acknowledge the lives of himself and of those around him. His
hands fluttered because he no longer just killed, he needed a
justification from the other side as well. After all, who was he to
judge whether someone was worthy to die or not. Gongmin was there to
grant Young the reason to fight for. Here was one weak, immature King
with the guts to tell Young in the face that he trusted Young in his
mission to rebuild everyone's country. How could have this courage and
boldness not shaken up a lost heart?

The
warrior Young needed to come back as whole as ever. Because only then,
would his sword serve its purposes. Only then, would his hands hold
high. Only then, would he make history.